


Rise of Ceartas

by caleprwrite



Series: Ceartas [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Human Experimentation, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Justice, Minor Character Death, Non-Graphic Violence, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pregnancy Scare, Recovery, SHIELD, Sexy Times, Virgin Reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-09
Updated: 2017-04-09
Packaged: 2018-10-16 17:51:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10576404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caleprwrite/pseuds/caleprwrite
Summary: Ever since- well you didn’t really know what to call what happened to you… In the few weeks since you’d changed, your speed, coordination and intuition had become enhanced. Oh, and did you mention you could fly? Pull energy from the earth itself? Communicate with others telepathically?You had tried to make peace- as much as was possible- with the hell you went through to get to that point. You had the support of some amazing people in your corner. You never thought you’d have a family, and you guessed this wasn’t a traditional one, but you felt a part of it now. The Avengers had welcomed you to their tribe of weirdos with open arms. You owed them your life, especially Steve and Bucky, who found you.The physical changes you've experienced aren't all positive and there may be a much more sinister villain behind the scene. Will you be able to make it through the challenges that lie ahead?





	

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Normal Is Overrated](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9070435) by [GeeKnProuD](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeeKnProuD/pseuds/GeeKnProuD). 



> This work references violence, assault, rape and unwanted pregnancy which may be triggering to some readers. Fic can be read alone or as the second part of the series "Ceartas". 
> 
> Credit for the idea of Frigga's healing potion goes to GeeKnProuD, which inspired that part of the story. 
> 
> All comments, kudos and corrections are more than welcome. Please enjoy!

Ch. 1

The dewy morning air filled your lungs as you ran. You heard the crunch of leaves beneath your feet as you followed the trail through the woods surrounding the Compound. Pink hues colored sky as the rising sun peaked above the trees. You steadied your breathing and pushed harder, running faster than you’d been able to just three short weeks ago. 

Some might think it silly that you were enjoying running so much, but you’d never been much of a runner before. Fit? Yes. Strong? Sure. Fast? Nope. Your legs were long and that contributed to your height of 5’9” but you didn’t have whatever was needed to maintain the speed, distance and endurance to really RUN before. You’d always been more of a casual jogger. 

Ever since- well you didn’t really know what to call what happened to you… In the few weeks since you’d changed, your speed, coordination and intuition had become enhanced. Oh, and did you mention you could fly? Pull energy from the earth itself? Communicate with others telepathically? 

You had tried to make peace- as much as was possible- with the hell you went through to get to that point. You had the support of some amazing people in your corner. You never thought you’d have a family, and you guessed this wasn’t a traditional one, but you felt a part of it now. The Avengers had welcomed you to their tribe of weirdos with open arms. You owed them your life, especially Steve and Bucky, who found you. 

Recently you’d been able to go back to your apartment in Brooklyn and pack up some things. Of course, you’d had company and were thankful for it. Wanda had volunteered to go with you. The two of you were quickly becoming the best of friends. Steve and Bucky also came with. You weren’t going to complain. Who didn’t want help moving from two smoking-hot Super Soldiers? You’d like to think it was up to you, but you knew Steve would have pulled rank and made it an order had you refused. 

The few things you’d decided to bring back to the Compound fit in a four boxes that were currently in your suite. Everything else was donated to the Wounded Warriors Project, in memory of your mom. How you missed her! You hoped she could see you now, that she was proud of the way you’d come through it all. Being drugged, raped, experimented on and left for dead wasn’t how you saw your twenty fourth year going but you’d decided to not let it define you. You were here for a reason, and if you could bring some good, ANY good about because of it, that’s what you’d do.

You got back to the communal floor and poured yourself a cup of coffee when Steve came into the kitchen fresh from the shower. He was dressed to kill anyone with ovaries in a pair of dark grey joggers and a light blue t-shirt that hugged every ripple and dip of his muscles. 

“Mornin,” he smiled that adorable crooked smile. The one that had his baby blue eyes sparkling and your cheeks flushing. Lord have mercy he smelled good, like vanilla, clean skin and a hint of aftershave.

“Morning Steve,” you smiled back and poured him a cup of coffee. He took it gratefully and stuck some bread in the toaster as you leaned back against the counter, enjoying the view and eagerly awaiting your new favorite breakfast. Who knew two squares of toasted bread with a bit of sweet cream butter could make a girl swoon? Surely, it had nothing to do with the sweetheart of a guy that made it. Yeah, that’s what you were going with. 

You had had developed an enormous crush on Steve, and due to your telepathy you knew the feeling was mutual. Before Wanda taught you to control that ability it was kind of unpredictable, popping up whenever randomly if you were curious about something. You’d even gotten an unexpected glimpse of memories from his childhood the first day you’d met him after recovery. That’s how you came to find out he was THAT Steve. 

‘One day you will admit it out loud’ you heard as Wanda padded out to the kitchen in her pajamas, rubbing her eyes and yawning. 

‘Can it smart ass’ you chastised silently and then thanked her for teaching you how to focus your telepathic abilities so your thoughts weren’t on display for everyone. 

She smiled at you again, ‘Yes, that would be embarrassing, especially right now,” she teased.

The three of you sat at the table and enjoyed the coffee and toast. You’d just finished your first slice as Clint groaned and plopped down next to you to steal your cup of coffee. 

“You know there’s more in here, right Barton?” Bucky asked, entering the kitchen. 

“I like how she makes it better,” he said and shamelessly chugged the rest of your coffee before he left to go do whatever it was Clint did all day.

Bucky handed you a new cup of coffee as he sat down next to Wanda. “Thanks,” you nodded and accepted the cup with a smile. He smiled back, the sleepy grimace lessening as he too a long draw from his cup. 

“Any plans for today Ceartas?” Steve asked. You weren’t sure what the name meant, but liked it when he called you that. His eyes were warm and his face soft as he said it. You smiled at him when your eyes met and enjoyed the flicker of excitement you felt. You felt insanely drawn to him and had to really work at policing your expression so you didn’t fawn all over him like a schoolgirl. 

You replied nonchalantly when you heard Wanda stifle a snort of laughter. Damn her for being nosy. “Just finishing up the boxes in my room, I guess,” you said innocently with a half shrug. “I’ve also got to get my laptop back from Tony, he should be finished dissecting it today. Then I can start looking for another job.” A wave of nausea washed over you. You chalked it up to intimidation from going back into the world you knew before.

“Well, before you get too busy, Coulson’s coming in and wants to meet with you. Make you an official part of the team, if you’re up for it,” Steve said. He waited for an answer with an amused smile as a shocked look crossed your face. 

“Really? I’m in? You’ll let me train for combat?” You were honestly surprised Steve sounded so nonchalant. He’d been the one that was so protective since finding you half dead in the park a few weeks ago. 

His brows creased slightly when you mentioned combat. “Combat? No, let’s start with PR first, you’re already an expert at that. Hopefully you’ll never see combat.”

“She should still be trained Stevie, just in case” Bucky offered. Steve shot him a look that didn’t take a telepath to figure out he wasn’t on board with Bucky’s suggestion. 

The two of them had their own silent conversation, a special skill they’d developed after knowing each other for the better part of a century. Bucky leaned back in his chair relaxing his metal arm on the table and and met Steve’s stare head on. Tension thickened in the air and the silence. Bucky was the only one who could outright question Steve’s authority like that and get away with it.

You’d not had any official training- just that day in the B.A.R.F. (Binarily Augmented Retro Framing- Tony really needed to come up with a better name for that tech). You’d taken it upon yourself to explore and push your limits independently and were proud of the progress you’d made. If only Steve would agree to let you be trained you knew you’d improve even more.

“You know how bad I want to train, Steve. Wanda’s taught me a lot about my new abilities, and I’m strong, but I still have so much to learn. Would you at least consider it?” you asked sincerely. You didn’t want to push him but also didn’t want to be treated like some fragile little girl. “Please, I need to pull my weight around here.”

His baby blue eyes darkened with his expression and you noticed his fist involuntarily clench along with the muscles of his defined jaw. You knew you could be an asset to SHIELD. The abilities you possess are a mixture of Wanda, Bucky and Steve’s. Of course, they’re brand new and you have no experience, but everyone’s got to begin somewhere, right? 

‘He is on the fence, (y/n). Pushing it will not help’ You hear Wanda warn silently and make eye contact with the cautious blue eyes peering at you from behind her mug. 

‘I know, I know’ you half-smile and look down at your cup. You lightly traced a finger around the rim and waited for something, anything from Steve. He sighed deeply and your hopeful gaze met his thoughtful one. 

“Let’s get through the SHIELD orientation first, okay? No promises though,” he conceded and you beamed a smile of gratitude to him.

“You’re the best!” you squeaked as you leaned over to hug his arm and kiss his cheek before heading to the kitchen with your dishes. You snuck a look back and couldn’t help but notice the pink dusting his cheeks when he tried to hide a smile of his own as he glanced back to you. ‘God he’s beautiful,’ you thought to yourself. 

He shook his head in mock defeat. “Coulson will be here at ten. Meet us in the small conference room.” Then he looked squarely at Bucky. “You better be right, Buck,” he said. You took that opportunity to duck out and grab a shower before preparing for the meeting with Director Coulson. 

 

Ch. 2

You stepped into the warm water and took a deep breath. Nerves decided to show up with the realization that you were finally going to meet the Director. That meant Steve trusted you enough to move forward and have you become an official part of SHIELD. 

If you were completely honest, you’d be grateful even if you were only able to do PR. You truly believed there was a reason for everything you went through. The desire to make a difference and protect others grew by the day. Part of you felt as though you’d wasted your time up to that point with a narrow minded life. Now that this new world had been opened up, you wanted- no- needed to find your place in it. 

Maybe that would help you find peace at night and finally get decent sleep without Wanda’s help. She’d been helping by giving you a sense of calm whenever you’d asked but there had been far too many restless nights filled with nightmares, anxiety and horrific memories. You knew she could hear them, she’d asked about it once and you’d apologized profusely. She said she should be able to block them if you wanted but you refused, knowing it was something you needed to process and deal with. You promised to let her know if you needed help, and had taken her up on it a few times out of sheer exhaustion. 

You inhaled the calming scent of lavender body wash and stilled your thoughts. You were here now, and that’s what mattered. You reminded yourself of the new abilities you’d developed. Yes, it was against your will but now the power was yours now to take it and make good happen. You had to, otherwise you’d be broken. You refused to accept that as an option.

After drying your wavy hair, you swept it into a bun and made yourself dizzy from flipping your head too fast. You really needed to get used to these damned abilities and find your center again. 

You completed your regular makeup routine. Brows, lashes, lips; nothing too fancy, just framing your face. You took in your reflection as you stood in your bra and underwear, not bad. As you lotioned your skin you felt how the muscles of your legs were more defined than before, and your skin had a natural golden glow. Looking closer, your eyes had also changed. They used to be a dark blue but now had gold in the center around your pupils, making them take on a more greenish, almost turquoise color. Now that you paid attention, your hair looked a bit more copper too. How strange. You’d have to talk to Bruce about it once he returned to the Compound.

You peered into your closet and considered what to wear. The past couple of weeks had been spent in workout gear and shield issued sweats as you worked to regain strength and learn your abilities. This meeting was similar to a job interview, so you dressed appropriately in a tweed pencil skirt, nude peep toe heels and a crisp white button up ¾ sleeve shirt. It felt familiar to be dressed in business attire again. Good thing you’d recently been to your apartment and gotten some things.

You looked at the time and saw you had about 20 more minutes until it was time to meet the Director. You sat at your desk and thumbed through the contents of a stack of mail. Junk, junk, bill, junk, bill… Oh the excitement of being an adult!

You opened the bills and set them in a pile to deal with later today. You shredded the junk mail and there were a few leftover mystery pieces that were addressed to you but had no return address. Probably more junk, but you’d check later. You did NOT want to be late.

You arrived downstairs to see Steve talking animatedly with a man and woman. The woman wore a sleek black tactical suit and looked ready for combat. She appeared very reserved as she nodded politely while the two men laughed. You assumed the man next to her in the business suit was Director Coulson. He and Steve seemed to have a very good rapport. If you didn’t know better, you’d think he was almost fangirling over Steve. The thought brought a small smile to your lips. Now is SO not the time, you told yourself. Be professional. You put your best smile on and walked with purpose. “On your left,” you said quietly as you joined the group and stood next to Steve. 

He smiled at you and put his hand lightly on your back to bring you into the circle of the conversation. “Phil, May, this (y/n),” he offered, introducing you. 

“Hello, Director, Agent May. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” you said and shook hands with both of them. The Director had a warm handshake and smiled. You immediately felt at ease with him. Agent May gave me a firm, no nonsense greeting with a curt nod. No warm and fuzzy there. That’s perfect, if you got in, you wanted it to be because you’d proven yourself worthy, not because Steve said so. You appreciated knowing where you stood.

“Please, call me Phil,” the Director said. “Let’s get on with this, shall we?”

The group filed into one of the smaller conference rooms that seated about 8 people. The Director and Agent May sat on one side of the glass table. Steve held the chair next to him for you and you were seated.

“So we’ve gone over your file, and I really want to begin by apologizing. I feel some responsibility for everything you went through because Ward used to be on our team. In fact, I trained him myself.” A queasy feeling settled in the pit of your stomach at the mention of Ward’s name and you minded your expression not to let it show. “I’m not sure how much you know about the data dump from Romanoff a while back, but HYDRA had infiltrated SHIELD so deeply that many of us didn’t realize what was right under our noses,” he continued. 

You were speechless for a brief moment. You hadn’t expected your meeting to begin that way and could feel Agent May’s gaze evaluating you- your facial expression, respiratory rate, everything. It was unsettling but you took a small breath and squared your shoulders. “Thank you, sir,” you accepted appropriately, and a small smile returned to the Director’s face.

“As you can imagine, SHIELD is not exactly the most trusted campaign as of late. Our image can benefit from someone with your PR experience,” he continued. “We’d like your help. You’d need to travel to DC pretty regularly, but can continue to live here or in the tower if you’d like. I’m sure you have quite a bit of training to do before you’ve mastered your enhancements.”

Your eyes shot to Steve and he gave a slight tilt of his head in agreement. His hand clenched reflexively and you could tell he still wasn’t 100% behind the idea, but you couldn’t keep your smile hidden. 

“Of course, sir. Anything I can do to help SHIELD and the Avengers, it would be my honor. I owe them my life.” 

“Great! Now, typically we’d have a new recruit go through the academy and be assigned based on their proficiency scores, but since you’re an Inhuman- that’s what we call it when someone’s born with or developed powers- we’re going to do this different. Call it inside out... just like your healing abilities.” Wait, did Coulson just make a dad joke? You smiled at the attempt. He looked at Agent May and she just rolled her eyes. 

“Tough crowd… okay, back to business,” he said accepting defeat. “You were already given security clearance a few weeks ago when Dr. Cho released you from the medical bay, thanks to FRIDAY. Captain Rogers will be in charge of who completes your orientation and training. He’ll also clear your probationary period once you’ve reached the goals he sets. You’ll continue to report directly to him and follow orders at all times. You were raised in the military, I trust you understand the importance of the chain of command?”

“Yes sir, I understand. Thank you, I won’t let you down.” Everyone stood at the conclusion and shook hands. You were thrilled! You? A probationary Agent, you couldn’t wait to tell Wanda! 

 

Ch. 3

Steve accompanied Phil and May to Tony’s labs and you returned to the residential floor after the interview. You met Wanda in the living room. She looked up when you stepped off the lift, an enormous smile crossing your lips. “It’s a yes!” you exclaimed. 

She rose and hugged you “Congratulations!”

The two of you went to your room and you told her all about the meeting. She offered to help go through your boxes and you gratefully accepted. 

“Before I do that, let me just finish with this mail,” you said and motioned to the stack on your desk. You opened an envelope and a photo fell out. When you picked it up you froze. It was the photo that Rumlow took when he and Ward attacked you. You looked again at the envelope. It was postmarked last week. 

That couldn’t be true, Ward and Rumlow had to still be in custody. SHIELD, the Avengers, Steve… he promised they’d never hurt you again. How could they be free? If they were out, you weren’t safe. Your emotions betrayed you and your body went numb. Your blood felt like it turned to ice. You looked at Wanda and she turned to you immediately concerned. “What is it (y/n)?”

Your eyes moved back to the photo and you dropped it like it was on fire. “I need to- I’ll be back…” You quickly went to the bathroom and started the shower. You needed heat, hot water, a moment to process everything. Nothing else mattered.

You heard a soft knock at the door. “(Y/N)? Are you okay? What can I do?” You didn’t answer, just continued to breathe in the steamy air. You told yourself this wasn’t happening. The morning had been too good to be true, and this, this was just a horrible ending to the dream. Any minute now, you’d wake up and bug Steve again at breakfast to let you train. 

When that didn’t happen your mind went back to the photo, you concentrated as hard as you could, the sounds of the water blocking out distractions. You had a vision of a man’s hands putting the photo in an envelope. You tried to see more, and there was a tattoo. Some kind of symbol. 

Wanda entered your bathroom and saw you sitting in the corner of your shower with the water running over you. You were glowing gold and still in your undergarments. She tried to get through to you telepathically but you’d put up a barrier even she couldn’t break, she reached out and touched you but you still didn’t respond. You were concentrating way too deep. 

If they were on the outside and able to send this to you, you had to find and deal with them. If the system failed, you had to make sure they didn’t hurt anyone else. Also, you had questions that needed to be answered. How did they find you? What made them pick you? Why would they drug you, rape you, experiment on your and leave you for dead?

You sat so long in the water it ran cold and you didn’t realize it until you began to shiver. Soon it shut off and you felt the cool breeze of movement near you. You were being lifted and you looked up to see Steve. Wanda reached up and wrapped a towel over you as you were carried out. You clung to the heat coming off Steve, shivering. “S-Steve… I’m freezing,” you managed. 

“I’ve gotcha. You’re home, we’re here.” He wrapped you in the blankets from the bed, keeping you in his arms and rubbing your back briskly to warm you up.

You looked up into the ocean of his blue eyes and saw the raw emotion there. You heard him think violently, ‘I’m gonna fuckin’ kill them for doing this to her. All of ‘em!’ 

You buried your face in the heat of his neck and demanded through shivers “How did this happen? Why would we let them go?” 

He pulled back and met your eyes emphatically. “No, Ceartas. We didn’t let ‘em go. We just have more to find is all.” 

“Are you sure it’s not them? I saw a man’s hands, one had a symbol tattooed. We need to check for it.”

“I swear they’re locked up,” he muttered through clenched teeth then gently held your face in his hands. “I promise. They’re never getting out. What can I do? I can help you, just tell me.”

“I want to talk to them,” you implored, holding his wrist in your cold water-wrinkled hand. You figured he’d never go for it but since he offered to help, you had to take the shot. “I have questions, I need answers. I can MAKE them talk and tell us who else is involved.” You were sure you’d recognize the hands and wanted to see for yourself. 

He looked down at you and you could hear the conflict in his mind. ‘Please Steve, I can do this’ you urged silently. He took another deep breath and lowered his head, much like he did in the morning and you quickly recognized the gesture. 

He met your pleading face. “Why can’t I say no to you?” he asked, then looked at Wanda. She shrugged and assured him it wasn’t you controlling his mind. “They’re in DC. I’ll take you but are you sure you can do this?”

You nodded, “I promise.” You smiled, using his words from before. He brought you close to his chest and sighed again. 

“Warm up and get dressed, we’ll leave when you’re ready.” He released you and rose to leave. 

After the door closed you asked Wanda, “How long was I in there?”

“Almost an hour. You wouldn’t answer so I let you be for a while. Later when I came back, I checked on you and heard the water still running. You were shivering and blocking me. I tried to lift you out but I couldn’t use my magic on you. I asked Steve to help.”

“I blocked you? That’s good... right? That means I’m controlling it more?” you asked. 

“Well, yes and no. Did you mean to?”

“I just tried to shut everything out. The steam and sound of the water helped me concentrate. I visualized the photo again and I felt a connection. I saw the hands that mailed it, tried to focus on nothing but that so I could see the whole person, but all I know is it was a pale skinned man with a tattoo.”

“It was postmarked last week, and they’re still in custody. It’s impossible it was either of them.” she added and you nodded. 

“Then there’s someone else. Whoever we’re missing is the one that’s orchestrating it all. I’m going to find out who else is with them,” you answered as you changed into dry clothes. 

“Do you want me to come with you and Steve?” she asked. 

“I’ll be okay, thanks Wanda,” you said and left to join Steve.

 

Ch. 4

The flight to DC was peaceful. Steve took the opportunity to show you how to control the Quinjet in the air and you laughed with excitement at flying the plane. You talked about what to expect with orientation at SHIELD, and Steve told you you’d meet with an agent named Maria Hill. 

“Why do you call me that?” you asked Steve when the conversation lulled. 

“Call you what?” he asked trying to hide a bashful smile. He knew exactly what you were talking about, he just wanted to hear you say it. 

“Ceartas. What does it mean?” You hadn’t heard the word before. “What language is it?”

He smiled as an old memory flashed across his mind and he looked at you fondly. “It’s something my Ma used to tell me after I’d fought at school. She spoke in Gaelic a lot at home.” He stopped and blushed lightly. Given the expectant look on your face, he continued. “There’s no literal translation to English, but it’s similar to the meaning of ‘justice’. She said it while patching me up to remind me the fight was over, I’d survived.”

You mulled the explanation over in your mind. You felt like your fight had just begun, so it didn’t make sense that he’d call you that. “My fight’s just beginning though, I don’t understand.”

He switched on autopilot, turned his chair so he faced you directly and smiled the adorable crooked grin that always hit you right in the heart. He leaned in closer and you turned to him also. “The fight that’s over- It’s mine. I don’t stand a chance, just can’t say no to you. Anything you’d ask me I’d do it for ya.” You felt your pulse quicken at the intense look in his eyes. 

“I didn’t want you to go through being attacked again in the simulator, or go into the field and train for combat, or even to come to DC for an interrogation.” He looked down and reached for your hands. He held them in his, gently caressing your knuckles with his thumbs. “It’s purely selfish; I know that and I’m okay with it.” 

He looked into your eyes and continued. “You mean so much to me. Too much to take any chances on you getting hurt. I don’t understand it- this integral need I have to protect you- but it’s there and there’s no denying it.”

“Steve… I don’t know what to say,” you said softly. Your gaze flickered from the intense look in his eyes to the silver star on the center of his chest. You were reeling at the confession and were afraid of reading too much into it. Trying to play it cool you continued, “I mean, you protect everyone, I’m not so special.” 

You felt pounding in your heart and at the same time it was like you couldn’t breathe. He followed your gaze to the star your eyes were trained on. You watched as the harsh realization that he was now your superior flooded back. He released your hands, dropped his head and breathed out the sound of defeat. 

“I’m sorry, (y/n). This isn’t appropriate. I shouldn’t put that on you.” His expression was troubled, beautiful blue eyes darkened and brows knit closely together. You felt like a total asshole. 

He rose and walked to the back of the Quinjet, leaning his right arm against the bulkhead as he took a deep breath. His left hand rested on his hip and his right clenched in a fist from frustration. You could feel how conflicted he was. You hated seeing him like that, he’d only been honest. The emotions that radiated from him shot through the space between you, loud and clear. 

Attraction. Conflict.  
Frustration. Protection.  
Adoration. Love…

Wait- what?  
Yes, fierce, intense love.

You followed him to the back of the craft. “Steve…” you reached out to his shoulder. He turned and your eyes met. Everything you’d felt from him was on display in the ocean of his eyes. 

You reached out and laid your palm over his heart, opening your thoughts to him. He covered your hand and his eyes trailed down to your lips. You nervously licked your lips as your gaze also fell on his full mouth. He reached out to your cheek and lowered his face to yours, lightly pressing a soft kiss to your lips. You kissed him back and his strong arms wrapped around you. He pulled your body tightly against his. 

Your heart skipped when you felt his tongue softly lick into your mouth and taste you. One of your arms snaked up around his neck and your other hand rose so your fingers could lightly curl through the soft golden strands of his hair. You deepened the kiss and moaned quietly, overwhelmed with the strength of pure emotion you felt both for him and from him. 

You separated and he looked deep into your eyes. His reddened and swollen lips murmured “I’m in love with you. I can’t keep pretending I’m not.” You felt the deep timbre of his voice in every fiber of your body as his warmth enveloped you.

“Steve,” you breathed, kissing him lightly as you spoke. “I love you too. I love you so much.” 

He lightly traced your cheek with his hand and smiled before kissing you again, this time possessively and passionately. Muffled sounds of God I love you and you’re finally mine falling from his lips as they trailed lower down your jaw and neck. You moaned softly as he nipped and sucked at your skin just behind your ear and down the column of your throat. 

You were interrupted by a beeping indicating your destination was near and you separated breathlessly. He looked absolutely wrecked with his hair tousled from your hands, his lips red and swollen and his pupils blown with desire. You blushed and could only imagine how far gone you must have appeared too. 

“Come on, Sweetheart,” he smiled and kissed you again softly. “Let’s do this together.” 

 

Ch. 5

Once landed at Shield’s DC headquarters, you followed Steve into the base. Steve activated the retina scanner and the door opened automatically. The guard at the gate inside immediately snapped to attention when he saw Steve. 

“Good evening Sir,” he greeted. “How can I help you Captain?”

“I need prisoners Rumlow and Ward for interrogation please,” Steve requested politely in his authoritative Captain America tone. 

“Uh, yes. Of course. I’ll just need identification for your guest, sorry Sir.”

“Not a problem, this is Agent (y/n),” he said and you stepped forward. You scanned your palm and the identification profile compiled by SHIELD came up on screen. 

After your identity was confirmed you and Steve were lead to a small soundproof room with recording equipment and a tinted window overlooking an adjoining room with a metal table and chairs. Tension tightened your muscles. You stretched and twisted uncomfortably trying to crack your low back. Your heart pounded at the realization that you’d be coming face to face with your attackers and the uncertainty must have shown on your face because Steve’s warm hand softly squeezed your own, causing you to jump the slightest bit.

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly, eyes full of concern. 

When you looked up at him your nerves steeled and you heard him remind you that you were in control this time. You nodded, “I can do this.”

First in was Rumlow. He was bound by shackles around his hands and feet that were connected by a chain permitting only the smallest steps. The guards (there were two now) secured his metal bindings to the table in the interrogation room. He looked around angrily like a trapped animal and snarled at the two way glass. 

“That you again Rogers?” he spat once the guards secured him and left the room. “Didn’t get enough of me last time, huh? Come, on out princess.”

Steve waited patiently with his arms folded across his chest, knowing the taunting by Rumlow wasn’t anywhere near over. “I usually make ‘em wait a few minutes until they’ve quieted down before I go in. It reminds them who’s in control,” he explained. 

“Come on, Rogers. What’s the matter, you upset I didn’t share that nice fresh piece of ass with you?” Rumlow continued taunting and the memory of him attacking you flooded back. You felt nauseous and your breath caught in your throat. Every muscle instinctively tensed.

You deliberately relaxed your body and refused to be victimized again. You surrounded yourself with a golden glowing hue blocking out the memories and regained your peace and strength. 

You saw the grip Steve had on the metal frame of the mirror and the fingertip shape dents that were left in it from his hand clenching at Rumlow’s words. You reached up, hand glowing and touched his shoulder to calm him. He looked over to you and you told him you’d be okay. His darkened blue eyes shifted from you to Rumlow and he eased his grip on the frame. 

‘Can we get this over with?’ you asked him silently and he nodded, leading you into the hall to enter the interrogation room. 

“You’re sure?” It was more of a confirmation than a question and you nodded. He opened the door and you followed him into the room to face Rumlow. 

“Ah, how nice of you to bring new meat, Rogers. Who’s this one?” he asked, sarcasm dripping from his words. 

“This is Agent (y/n) and you’re going to be respectful, understand?” Steve said through clenched teeth. Rumlow smirked and leaned back in the chair, eyeing you lasciviously. 

“How did you find her, Rumlow?” you began. “Why her?”

“Aw, you feeling left out or something? Maybe your Captain here can give us some privacy. You’d like that wouldn’t you?” he sneered looking you over from top to bottom. 

Anger rose from deep in your chest. “That’s not really your style, is it? You’d rather have an audience, wouldn’t you? Makes you feel more like a man, you pathetic piece of shit!” The center of your eyes felt hot as they began glowing golden and the realization of who you were finally hit him. His eyes opened wide in fear.

“That’s not possible. You should be dead!” he yelled. “You- you were dead when we dumped you. How the hell are you here?”

“All you need to know is you failed! You failed and you’ll never see the light of day again...now answer the damned question! Why her?” Steve roared, slamming his fist on the table and bending the metal with the force of the impact.

“You should know, Rogers. This one’s special,” he continued with a taunting smirk and Steve’s fist clenched again. “She had abilities just waiting to be enhanced. We spent a full year looking for the right subject. Intuitive, young, lonely and ripe. Had to wait until her loneliness and was stronger than the intuition or she’d never have gone for it. Only works if you’re willing when you have the first dose. You sure were willing, too, weren’t you baby?” he snarled while raking his eyes over you again. 

“Why?” you demanded. “What was the point?”

“Who cares? I was just along for the ride. I already got what I wanted from you,” he smirked. “Yeah, you liked it too, didn’t you? Begged real pretty for every inch of my-” he was cut off by a choking noise as you reached a hand out to him from the opposite side of the small room. Your hand and his neck both began glowing bright white though you were separated by at least three feet of space. 

‘You shouldn’t have said that. You’re useless to me now’ you spoke silently. Steve and Rumlow both heard you, Steve’s eyes shifted back to you from Rumlow, a satisfied expression watching you exact vengeance. The choking and sputtering man twisted his neck in a panic trying desperately to breathe. You watched as his eyes bulged red and tears ran down his cheeks. Your hand tightened in the air and for a brief moment you contemplated snapping his neck. 

“You’re not worth it,” you muttered as you released your hold on him and he collapsed face first to the metal table with a loud thud.

You backed up to the wall, out of breath. You stopped glowing and slid to the floor, knees bent. You rested your elbows on your knees and laid your head in your hands. A wave of dizziness crashed over you. Convincing yourself not to kill Rumlow was harder than you thought, the pull to end him was so strong. After a few deep breaths, Steve helped you up and you glanced at Rumlow’s unconscious mass slumped forward on the table. Your body ached and tightened at the sight. 

“He was telling the truth. He had no idea what the plan was. He just wanted to have his way with an innocent woman.” You looked up to him and weakly smiled through the tears fighting to fall forward.

Steve wrapped you in a warm embrace, which you returned, holding tightly to him like he was an anchor in a storm. The hard pounding of your heart lessened in his arms and you felt secure and strong. You looked up to him and said resolutely, “One down, one to go.”

 

Ch. 6

You excused yourself to the restroom as the guards came to remove Rumlow. You bent over the sink and splashed cold water on your face and the back of your neck. Exhaustion hit you like a ton of bricks. The confirmation that you’d been specifically targeted played over in your mind. What was it he said? ‘Intuitive, young, lonely and ripe.’ You looked at your reflection in the mirror and thought on his meaning.

Intuitive… Intuition is something your mom always told you was an integral part of who you were. You had a strong and accurate sense of others, which is something you used to your advantage in public relations, maybe that’s why you did so well with difficult clients. 

Young… Of course you were young, but how many other women your age were there? That was no help. There were thousands of women your age in New York alone.

Lonely… Well, yeah. That hit you right on the head, but that’s not what really scared you. It was his last word, ripe. Hearing his voice in your head saying that gave you pause. 

You were a virgin up until being raped and weren’t on any form of birth control, but… Helen said there was no DNA present when she completed the rape kit. You supposed it was possible they used condoms, but you hadn’t woken until almost a week after the attack so a morning after pill wouldn’t have worked anyway. 

You were positive you’d know if you were pregnant, if there was a life growing in your body. You pushed the thought from your head. Rumlow was just toying with you. It was nothing more than the desperate and cruel tricks of an evil man with no hope of seeing freedom anytime soon. He was trying his best to torture you. That’s ALL he was doing. You refused to let him win.

You splashed water on your face again and returned to the observation room adjacent to the interrogation room to wait for Ward to be brought in. When you walked in you saw Steve in the other room already working on him and the sight of it made your stomach turn. 

The fact that you thought you’d gotten to know him and actually planned to go on a date with him made it harder to accept. The dry lump in your throat grew as you saw his dark eyes dance while he taunted Steve. You remembered the twist of his lips and scratchy stubble against your skin and your hands went clammy. The hands that pressed roughly into your skin and choked you that night were wrapped around the chain that tethered him to the metal table. 

‘Pull it together,’ you demanded of yourself. ‘He’s here and chained up, he can’t hurt you. You’re not the same person you were then, and Steve’s here. He won’t let anything happen to you.’

You entered the interrogation room and stood quietly waiting for Ward to look at you. He followed Steve’s eyes when he heard you enter. “Who else are you working with,” you asked flatly. Recognition flashed across Ward’s face and you could tell he was shocked and intrigued to see you alive. 

“Look at you, all grown up and with SHIELD. You expect me to answer any of your questions?” he hissed. “I won’t tell you shit.”

“Show me your wrists,” you ordered and he completely ignored you. Steve grabbed hold of his forearms and drug his sleeves up exposing the blank skin of each arm. Your brow furrowed in frustration when you realized neither he or Rumlow were from the vision earlier. 

“What are you looking for? Think you have all the pieces?” he laughed dryly. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with.”

“Since you’ve got the answers, why don’t you let us in on it, huh?” you shot back. You knew you’d be able to get him to talk, you just needed to find the right insult to his ego. 

“You don’t know anything do you? Not smart enough to figure it out on your own.” You continued relentlessly, “Let me guess, you’re just the muscle? The hired help? They cut their losses with you the second SHIELD found you, didn’t they! Completely burned you-”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” he spat. “It’s bigger than anyone on this speck of dirt. Nobody burns me!” he roared. “It’ll be done soon enough and then you’ll really be fucked. Harder than before” he smirked and looked you over hungrily. 

The second the last words were out of his mouth Steve’s giant fist crashed across his face and blood dripped from his nose and mouth. Ward smiled evilly through the blood and looked up at Steve. 

“Touched a nerve there, didn’t I? Don’t waste your time on this one, Captain. She’s nothing but used trash” he said as he looked you up and down again. He spit out blood onto the table in your direction and Steve pushed him back in his chair by the neck. 

“Say it again, just give me one damn reason to snap you in half,” Steve growled through clenched teeth. 

“Wait! Steve! He knows more… Please, Let me try!” you shouted. If Steve killed him he’d be no good and you’d never be able to get the rest of what Ward knew. He was more important than Rumlow, he just didn’t want you to know it. You gently touched Steve’s shoulder and silently begged him to release Ward. After a few seconds he did and Ward coughed and gasped for air all while shaking out a bitter laugh. 

You sat across the table from a bloodied and wheezing Ward and stilled your mind. You heard Steve’s heart pounding in anger. Blocking out all the noise in the room, you touched Ward’s forearm and entered his mind against his will. You felt him fighting you on it and silenced his consciousness. You searched his memories back to the man with the tattoo. You saw him shaking a hand, the same hand with the symbol on the wrist. Looking up there was a man staring back. He was dressed all in black, had pale skin, eyes the color of coal and a mischievous smile. 

You’d seen this man’s likeness before. He looked like… Loki! But it wasn’t him, no. Somehow this person had done everything possible to look like him but the tattooed symbol and the black eyes were different. 

The dark pupils were vertical like a cat’s eyes. Whoever this was didn’t want anyone to know who they really were. He handed Ward something. A small bag of pills. It was mid-day and they glowed purple like something white under a blacklight. This must be what you were drugged with. The same symbol from the man’s wrist were on the pills.

“Choose wisely. My heir will reward your success. Do not fail me,” the man said to Ward. His voice was raspy, a forced whisper like you’d expect from a ghost in a horror movie and it shook you to your core. You released Ward’s arm when the heat from his skin burned you and felt yourself be thrown back, slamming against the wall. The air was knocked from your lungs. 

You coughed out a desperate sound and gulped air. Your eyes were wild in fear. Ward and Steve both looked at you in shock. “(Y/N)!” Steve called and pulled you to your feet. You numbly shook and looked back to Ward. 

The same voice that spoke to Ward in your vision spoke aloud through him, hissing “The time for you to know my plan comes soon. My seed is growing.” A chill ran through your body when you heard the voice come from Ward.

Ward looked directly at you- actually it seemed like he was looking right through you- an expression of terror mixed with remorse crossing his features. “Steve!” you screamed and he protectively pulled you behind his shield. Ward choked out a desperate breath and his pupils changed to the black vertical eyes you saw before. The black went black from his pupils outward, spread throughout his face and neck, then his entire body turned to black ash. 

It all happened so fast, within a matter of seconds you’d had a vision, been thrown against a wall and Ward disintegrated before you. You looked up at Steve, the disbelief you felt mirrored back in his eyes. 

“What was that?” you asked and didn’t recognize the sound of your own voice. It sounded, too small, too scared and too far away. You felt the panic rising, like a tsunami rushing in, unable to stop it no matter how hard you willed yourself to be calm. Steve wrapped you in his arms and rushed you out, back into the observation room.

“Look at me, Sweetheart. You’re okay, you’re safe. I’m here,” he urged, cupping your face in his hands and turning you to him. You did as he said, and felt more grounded when you saw his eyes. He pulled you in a tight hug and rubbed soothing lines up and down your back. You clung to his shoulders, buried your face in the crook of his neck and breathed in his scent. 

“I need to see Bruce,” you said softly. He reluctantly released his hold on you and your eyes met. The protective expression on his face told you he knew what you needed. “He can do a blood test. I have to know.”

 

Ch. 7

“Hey nice to see you! What are you doing in town?” Bruce greeted as you and Steve entered the lab. He looked curiously from Steve to you and back, realizing it wasn’t a social visit. “What happened?” he asked, his tone more concerned.

You sat on the extra stool next to the table of science-y things Bruce was currently working on. Steve stood protectively next to you, his hand on the small of your back. “I need your help, Bruce. Can you run a pregnancy test on me?”

Bruce took a half step back and removed his glasses before sliding a hand down his face. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and looked up. “Yes, of course I can. I need you to know though, given the extensive trauma your body went through it’s unlikely you’d be pregnant. Were you on any form of birth control?” 

You shook your head no and looked at the floor. ”I’ve never... I was a virgin,” you said quietly. 

“I’m so sorry, (y/n). Do you want to talk somewhere private?” he asked nodding politely to Steve.

“I’ll wait outside,” Steve offered. He squeezed your shoulder and when he began to move away you reached out for his arm. 

“No, it’s okay. Can you stay- please?” He returned and pressed a kiss to your temple. He stood close with an arm wrapped around your back, his large hand resting on your hip. 

Bruce watched the exchange closely. “So, this is... new?” he half asked and you all laughed nervously. The observation broke the silence of the awkward moment. Bruce smiled warmly. “Let me just get my kit,” he said before going across the room to a wall of cabinets.

He returned with a box and set out a tube, needle, tourniquet and alcohol swabs. After tightening the band around your arm, he felt for a vein. “How late are you?” He asked as he cleaned the area in the bend of your arm. 

“I’ve never had a regular cycle, so it would be near impossible to tell. Last one was about two months ago.” You watched the blood enter the tube and held the cotton to your arm after the needle was removed. “How long before the results are ready?” you asked impatiently. You told him what happened with Rumlow and Ward. When Bruce heard what they’d said to you his face darkened with concern

“Give it about ten minutes in the autoclave and then I'll get results.” You looked to Steve and he nodded. He finished explaining what happened. Bruce’s face went blank for a moment before he said, “I wish I could say that I’ve never seen anything like it. After aliens invading New York and crazed murder-bots flying around killing innocents, very few things surprise me anymore.”

Steve and Bruce went back to the interrogation room to collect what was left of Ward and you waited in the lab. They returned right before the timer for the autoclave went off. 

Bruce took a small syringe and dropped some plasma onto a slide and inserted it into a machine, which read out numerical data. He looked at the readout then at you, a curious expression on his face. 

“I have to rerun the test,” he said. 

“What is it?” You asked anxiously, fighting the sound of your heart pounding in your ears. 

“I ran qualitative and quantitative. That means a yes or no and a how far along, just in case” he explained. “The qualitative is positive... but the quantitative is literally off the charts for the time frame. According to this, you’re not just pregnant... you’re about six months.”

Your eyes shot to Steve and back to Bruce, then down at your completely flat stomach. The panic was rising again in your chest and you felt the familiar struggle to take a breath. You leaned forward against the table and braced your hands in front of you, grounding yourself by squeezing the edge of the metal and willing yourself to focus. 

Steve wrapped his arm around your shoulders and pressed a kiss to your temple. “We’ll get through this, Sweetheart. You’re not alone,” he whispered in your ear. You met his eyes and nodded, then turned back to Bruce. 

Bruce pulled more supplies out of the box. He found a vein on your other arm and filled another tube. “We ran the same tests when you were in the medical wing and they were negative, so this doesn’t make any sense. While this is spinning, let’s do a urine test as well,” he suggested and handed you a cup. “Bathroom is right in there,” he pointed to a hallway off the lab and you headed in that direction.

A few short minutes later, you watched as three drops were added to a disc. “Give it 90 seconds… a watched pot never boils,” Bruce said in a small attempt in humor and you all turned your backs. Exactly 90 seconds later, you turned around and felt a small twinge of relief at the negative sign in the circle. 

“Negative,” you breathed out in a sigh of relief. You smiled nervously at Steve and Bruce and impatiently waited for the second serum test. After repeating the process exactly, the machine read out the same results and your heart sank. Bruce was right, this made absolutely no sense at all. How could you be negative, positive and 6 months along all at the same time?

“Helen can do an ultrasound when we get back to the compound. That will show us what’s going on internally, okay? I’ll follow you guys back shortly” Bruce said trying to comfort you. You nodded solemnly and followed Steve back to the Quinjet.

 

Ch. 8

“Were you able to get anything from Ward?” Steve asked on the way back to New York after engaging autopilot.

“The man with the symbol looked like Loki, but had very different eyes. I think it was someone trying to pass as him. The voice was the same as the one Ward spoke… before he died.” Steve reached out and squeezed your hand reassuringly. “That’s where the drugs they gave me came from. I saw him give Ward a bag of glowing pills that had the same symbol on them as his wrist,” you continued.

“When we get back, I’ll ask Wanda to summon Heimdall. He will be able to send Thor. If this person is trying to fool us into thinking he’s Loki, Thor needs to know.” He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to your cheek. “You’ll like Thor.”

You forced a small smile. “Are we going to talk about it? There’s an elephant in the room and I’m kinda freaking out.”

He breathed deep and the look of concern came over his face again. “Something’s not right,” he began and you snorted a sarcastic laugh. 

“No shit,” you agreed. “According to Bruce I’m six months pregnant, even though until three weeks ago I was a virgin. And don’t get me started on this swollen belly,” you said leaning back and patting your perfectly flat stomach. Your propensity for dark humor wasn’t a quality you liked about yourself, but hey, it was a coping mechanism. 

“I’m sorry,” you sighed. “I’ve never had to deal with a pregnancy scare before, and the thought of some demon-alien possessed person doing this to me is just too bizarre to wrap my head around.”

“We still don’t know what’s going on internally, right? It’s possible this is all just the effects of the drugs they gave you,” Steve said reassuringly. “Between Helen and Bruce, they’ll figure it out, okay?” 

He pulled you into his lap and wrapped his arms around you. You hugged him and rested your head on his broad shoulder. He sighed into your hair as you spoke. “I miss the days when the weirdest thing science created was you, Steve” you mumbled. 

His embrace tightened slightly and you heard a soft chuckle. “First old, then some weird experiment. You’ll give a fella a complex talkin’ like that,” he teased and you giggled softly. You sat up and looked into his eyes. “You’re stunning, you know that?” he said, softly tracing your cheek with his hand.

You leaned down and kissed him, holding his chiseled jaw tenderly in your hands. He wrapped you in his arms and slowly squeezed your back as you kissed. Pressing your lips to his and tasting his tongue on yours was quickly becoming your favorite passtime. Your heart ached with love and tenderness for him. You were eternally grateful for him. He was your rock, a constant to remind you of how brave you could be. 

An electronic alert sounded and you reluctantly separated from Steve to see a holographic image of Tony illuminated on the dash of the Quinjet.

“Nice! You two should have gone out on a mission sooner,” Tony teased. You both flushed deeply, the heat from your cheeks spreading down your neck. “You make a nice pair with Mother Earth here, Cap” Tony said to Steve, motioning to you. 

Your spine straightened at the nickname and you rose from Steve’s lap. His boyish expression stiffened and his eyes shot to yours. “What? Did I say something wrong?” Tony asked.

“What is it Stark?” Steve grumbled in annoyance. 

“Bruce said he has a present for me, spontaneous combustion or something, yeah?” he asked. “How far behind you does he plan to be? I assume he’s not on board with you two, given your extra-curricular activities.”

“Hopefully not far behind,” Steve answered flatly. 

“We’re almost back, but I need him and Helen before you can play, okay?” you added, calling dibs on Tony’s friend. He obviously didn’t know what else had transpired and the look of curiosity on his face was evidence of that. 

“Well, hurry up then. I’ve got science to do kid,” he pouted. 

Steve turned the comm off and squeezed your hand. “I’m here for you, okay? No matter what.” He rose and hugged you tightly. You returned to your seat, eager to return to the compound and talk to Helen.

 

Ch. 9

“Hmmm, this IS interesting,” Helen said, comparing the labs from DC to the ones she’d just repeated on you at the Compound. “Have you had any symptoms? Feeling light headed, vomiting, breast tenderness?”

“Uh, yeah. A little dizzy and sick to my stomach. No vomiting though, a little tenderness, but I didn’t think much of it. I’ve had other changes, too. I have more muscle, which is good. My skin’s more golden, my hair’s a little redder and my eyes are… different,” you said looking down at your hands in your lap. 

Now you were afraid of the physical changes your body experienced, afraid they all meant something more. You were glad Tony, Bruce and Steve were occupied with the Ward incident, it would be awkward talking about sore boobs with any of the guys in the room. 

“Your eyes?” Helen asked, stooping to see you better. You looked up and she noticed the gold in the center of your eyes, it was more pronounced now that your nerves were on end. “How long has this been present?”

You shrugged your shoulders and offered a helpful, “I dunno, a week I guess? It’s been kind of gradual. I’m working out and running a lot more. That could explain my muscle increase.”

Helen stood next to you and grasped your shoulders with her delicate hands. “Listen, (y/n). I know this is hard for you, but with everything that you’ve been through you’re doing very well.” You met her reassuring gaze and tried for a small smile. 

“I’m worried about being pregnant. The rest of the changes are great, if you ask me. I mean it sucks what I had to go through to get there, but I’ll make the best of almost any situation…” Your face became serious and you looked up at Helen with tears burning hot behind your eyes. 

“You’re in the right place, okay sweetie?” Helen said softly. “Why don’t we get the ultrasound done now? I know you’re scared.” You nodded and brushed the tears from your face. 

You laid on your back and shivered when the cold gel was squirted out onto your abdomen. Goose bumps popped up on your skin and Helen smeared the gel while looking at the screen. “See this light area here? That’s your bladder,” she explained. Over on this side is your left ovary. Hmm… Have you had ovarian cysts before?” she asked and you shrugged. You hardly ever when to the doctor, you’d always been healthy. She smeared the gel to the other side and showed you your right ovary. 

“See the dark spots here?” You nodded for her to continue. “These are ovarian cysts. They can be painful at times, and can also cause infertility if they worsen. It’s called PCOS. If you decide you want a family there are hormones you can take to help the process.” 

She twisted the wand in different angles above your pubic bone. “It’s difficult to visualize your uterus. If you are in fact pregnant, it’s much too early to tell this way. I’ll have to use another wand, it’s called transvaginal, okay?”

You breathed a scared and frustrated sigh and nodded. “Whatever you have to do Helen, please.”

The other, long, narrow wand was covered in gel and slid into- a condom? The condom was covered in lubricant and Helen held it so you could see the contraption. “I know it looks weird, but it will give us the best view. Try to relax, okay?” You nodded to her, signaling you were ready and held your breath. 

“I need you to breathe, (y/n). Don’t forget that important part,” she smiled sympathetically. “Let’s try this. Take a breath, and when I nod, let it out slowly. It will give you something to focus on when the wand is inserted.” You did so and felt the cold intrusive instrument enter and you instantly tensed up. 

Helen saw the look of panic on your face and gently reassured you. “You’re doing good, (y/n). We’ll be done soon. You’re okay. You’re safe. Try to relax your muscles. There we go, almost done.” 

Silent tears slid down your cheeks as you stared up at the ceiling. Memories of being violated that night flashed again and again through your mind. You dared a look at the monitor and saw a dark oval shaped blob that Helen was focused on. She took screen shots and measurements. 

“I’m going to switch on the doppler to see if we hear anything,” she told you and pressed a button. The sound that come through the speakers could best be described as waves of static on an AM radio station, rising and falling in no discernable rhythm. 

“Is- is that the machine?” you asked, chills running through your veins. She shook her head no. “Turn it off! Helen turn it off! Get rid of it!” you screamed. She removed the wand and covered your legs. 

“(Y/N)? It’s okay, we’re done,” she soothed as you shook. You shook your head no, violently, eyes shut tight.

“Please, get rid of it,” you begged over and over and over again. Your glowing wall went up and you blocked out any and all sounds. Nothing Helen said could get through to you so she called Bruce. Bruce tried to calm you, to get you to listen to his voice but had no success. You shook on the exam table, ears covered and eyes shut tight unable to acknowledge anyone. 

Bruce called Wanda, hoping she could get through to you telepathically, but she knew from previous experience the only one who could get your attention when your wall was up was Steve. Wanda was the first to try. You blocked her magic out and she covered her ears, the silent screams coming from you were too powerful, too loud in her mind. 

“This is worse, Steve, we have to pull her out of it,” Wanda said.

Steve tried next, squeezing a gentle hand around your shoulder and speaking softly to you. “Hey, it’s me, Sweetheart. It’s Steve. Ceartas, come on doll, look at me please,” he asked. You didn’t hear him. You didn’t hear anything, actually but you could feel him, felt his calming presence. Your hands slowly fell from your ears and you opened your eyes to his worried face. 

“Hi you,” he smiled when your eyes made contact. He dropped a kiss on your forehead and continued reassuring you. “There ya go, doll. That’s it. You’re okay. What do you say we get goin’ now, huh?” You nodded and he picked you up bridal style and carried you back to your suite on the residential level. 

Once you got to your room, Steve tucked you securely into bed and crawled in behind you over the blankets. He stayed next to you, silently carding his hands through your hair and rubbing your back until you fell asleep. After your breathing evened out, he quietly slipped away, being careful to leave your door cracked across the hall from Wanda in case you needed anyone.

 

Ch. 10

You tossed in your sleep and woke to a vision of a glowing iridescent liquid being offered to you from a crystal vial. Sitting straight up in bed, the sounds of a very large, deep voice talking quietly with the others in the kitchen floated down the hall. You unwrapped yourself from the bed and sheet from Helen’s office and remembered you were bare on your bottom half. 

You walked into your bathroom, stripping of everything else and stared at your reflection in the mirror. You turned to the side and smoothed your hand down the flat of your stomach. From the outside, there was absolutely no evidence of anything growing in your belly, but you knew that wasn’t so. You concentrated on the lower part of your abdomen and you could see in your mind’s eye the mysterious dark blob on the ultrasound screen and it’s location inside you. 

You turned on the shower and let the warm water fall over your skin. You visualized the fear and disgust washing off your body and down the drain. It helped you focus and you washed your hair and skin properly. After exiting the shower and dressing, you joined the gathering in the kitchen and apologized to Steve for having to come to your rescue yet again. You were really getting tired of the whole damsel in distress act. It wasn’t like you.

Wanda turned, greeting you with a concerned smile. “How are you feeling?” she asked as she reached out to hug you. You smiled sheepishly. Steve walked over next and enveloped you in his arms, dropping a kiss on your temple. The looks on Nat and Clint’s faces were priceless. 

“Oh, yeah. So, this happened,” you said smiling as Steve stood with his arm across your shoulders and you pressed into his side. You looked up at the stranger with blond hair, and figured it was Thor, given his armor, cape and regal greeting. 

“Lady (y/n), it is my honor,” he said and kissed the back of your hand as you reached out to shake. “I have just been informed of the unfortunate circumstances surrounding our introduction. I swear to you as the rightful heir of Asgard, my brother Loki had nothing to do with the events that lead to your enhancement.”

“Um, thanks Thor,” you said awkwardly. You’re never had a conversation with a god before and you were sure there should have been more formalities involved in your response.

“My mother the Queen sends a gift for you. It is quite powerful and will restore your body to it’s purest form, should you choose to use it,” he said in the largest voice you’d ever heard. You looked around at the others and heat rose to your cheeks. You could feel they all knew the basics of what happened and that you were preg- NO- that there was something growing inside of you. Whatever it was, it WASN’T a baby. There wasn’t a heartbeat. It was something horrific and unnatural. It wasn’t good, and it wasn’t yours. 

The group saw the discomfort on your face and one by one excused themselves until it was just you, Steve, Bucky, Wanda, Bruce and Thor left. You grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and took a long sip, carefully considering what Thor had said. 

“This gift, Thor, is it a potion? Does it glow?” you asked. All eyes turned to you in surprise. “I had a vision,” you explained simply. Thor removed it from a pouch around his neck and showed you the bottle, just as you’d described. You accepted it and held it up, inspecting it closely. “Will it get rid of it?” you asked, nodding to your lower abdomen. 

“My mother said it will restore your purity, so yes. However, I must caution you. Should you choose to use it, it is possible you will lose the magic you now possess,” Thor added. 

“Thank you Thor, I’ll take the chance. I have to do something. It’s not right, having this… thing in me. It’s evil, I can feel it,” you sighed and you looked around at the five pair of eyes trained on you.

“It was really great being here and getting to know you all,” you forced a smile. You hoped to God they’d remain in your life after you were back to your old self, even though in all probability you wouldn’t be an Agent anymore.

“What’re you sayin’ doll?” Steve asked, an offended look crossing his face. He brought you into his embrace and pressed a chaste kiss to your lips. “You’re not goin’ anywhere. This is your home, we’re your family,” he looked down and swallowed hard. “I love you. No matter what happens that won’t change, okay?”

You smiled at him through the hot tears burning behind your eyes and hugged him back. God you loved him! Right then you felt the same twinge of nausea, dizziness and discomfort in your belly and low back return. You had to get rid of it and the potion was your best shot. That was all that mattered. 

You uncapped the crystal vial and drank every drop of the glowing iridescent liquid. It had no taste but warmed your throat as it slid down. You felt the same warmth throughout your body and looked down to see your entire body glowing the color of the potion. As soon as it was there, it was gone and you felt- well, fine actually. 

The dizziness, nausea and pain in your hips and back was gone. You hadn’t even realized the heaviness you’d gotten used to in your pelvis until it wasn’t there anymore. You looked up at Steve happily and he cupped your face in his hands. 

“Your eyes, they’re completely golden now. And your hair, so beautiful,” he said breathlessly. You looked at the ends of your long hair and the strands looked like finely spun gold. You’d never seen anything like it. Your skin kept the healthy golden hue and your muscles you’d worked so hard for also remained. 

“Bruce, I need you to test me, please,” you asked, begged actually. He smiled.

“Come on, kid, let's go to the medical wing,” he said and you headed that way. You smiled as you realized you had your own entourage following you. You looked behind you and saw all of the encouraging and excited smiles shining back. 

The 10 minutes for the blood test took forever and a day, it seemed. Helen came in when she heard the commotion and you told her what Thor had brought and how you felt. 

“I have to say, you look the best I’ve ever seen you, (y/n),” she smiled. “Do you mind if I do a quick exam while we wait for the results?”

You turned to the motley group and shooed everyone out, promising they could come back in as soon as it was over. “Wanda, would you mind staying? I may need your help blocking, if you don’t mind,” you asked sheepishly. 

“Of course,” she answered and sat by your head as you laid back on the table and Helen covered your bare bottom half with a sheet.

Helen looked from you to Wanda. “Are we ready?” she asked. Crimson wisps of magic sparked from Wanda’s fingers around your mind. You took a breath and nodded to Helen to begin. 

She lifted the sheet to your knees and you put your feet into the stirrups. Wanda’s magic was working, you didn’t have any fear or anxiety. You felt Helen press you apart gently. She stopped and looked up at you abruptly. You half sat up and looked at her. “What is it Helen?”

“You- your hymen. I t’s repaired, like you’re a virgin,” she said incredulously. “I’ve never seen anything like it!” She tried to contain her excitement. “It worked.”

You looked at Wanda and she squeezed your hand. “What about the ultrasound, can we make sure nothing’s there?” you asked. 

“We can, but the wand will likely rupture the new membrane,” she said cautiously. “I will do it if you want, but let’s see what the labs say. If everything is negative, that will be confirmation, okay?” you nodded and sat up as she folded the stirrups back in. “Put your clothes back on, I’ll be right outside.”

You dressed and opened the door to a million eager faces (ok, not a million, but there were a lot of people there who cared). Bruce heard the notification and everyone rushed over to the screen and you saw the results. Qualitative: NEGATIVE. Quantitative: ZERO. Bruce turned and smiled at you and you jumped in celebration. “Thank you!” you squeaked and hugged Thor tightly. Everyone else joined in and congratulated you with hugs, smiles and celebration. Last to come forward was Steve.

You met each other’s eyes and he grabbed you pulling you into a passionate kiss, his arms holding you as close as possible. You separated breathlessly and he held your face in his gentle hands. “Ceartas,” he whispered. “How do you feel?”

“Like I’m finally me,” you answered and you wrapped your arms around his neck holding him tightly.

 

Ch. 11

After a mandatory 2 weeks of PTSD counselling with Sam Wilson in DC and SHIELD orientation with Maria Hill, you were cleared for training. You were ecstatic to return home to the Compound. 

Once landed you were greeted by FRIDAY’s voice. ‘Welcome back, Ms. (y/n). Good to be home?’

“Yes FRIDAY, thank you,” you replied and headed to the residential floors. It was dark and quiet and for a moment you though perhaps the team was out on a mission, until you walked in to a surprise welcome home party thrown in your honor. “Surprise!” everyone hollered when the lift doors opened. 

Steve jumped out first, lifting you and spinning you in a circle. He set you down and his soft lips covered your mouth and neck with kisses as he held you close. “Mmm… I missed you so much Sweetheart,” he whispered in your ear.

“Eh-um… Jesus, get a room!” Clint teased and Nat punched him in the arm.

Tony stepped forward next. “Welcome back! I made you a suit, you’re going to love it,” he smiled as you hugged him. 

Bucky, Bruce and Thor greeted you next. You thanked Thor yet again for bringing Frigga’s generous gift across the realms to you for healing. Thor introduced you to the two women waiting patiently to the side. “Lady (y/n), this is my love, Dr. Jane Foster and her esteemed colleague and best friend Darcy Lewis.”

“Hi, it’s so nice to meet you both,” you smiled and they hugged you.

You looked up to see Wanda waiting patiently for you. The two of you ran the few steps to each other and wrapped up in a red and golden glowing hug, silently talking a mile a minute. 

Tony announced the festivities would resume that evening after Sam and Maria arrived later that day. “Wait, Sam and Maria are coming too?” you asked excited. Could this day get any better?

 

Ch. 12

You tied your running shoes and tucked your iPod into the pocket in your sports bra. Once outside, you took off on your usual path around the compound and through the woods with your music blasting in your headphones. The fresh air felt cool and crisp in the late fall afternoon. 

Once you stepped off the gravel path and into the woods, you felt a familiar presence and smiled as you came to a stop. You turned to see Steve jogging over to you and you took out your headphones. 

“Mind some company?” he asked. 

“I’d love some. Think you can keep up Captain?” you teased, winking at him and you took off. 

You heard him laughing behind you and looked back to see him keeping up with hardly any effort. You ran faster, breathing evenly through each step, pushing your body slightly. The wind whipped through your hair as you ran and you felt a rush of adrenaline spurring you on. Your strides became longer and farther apart as you pushed yourself harder. 

In almost no time, you reached the end of your trail and came to the leaf-covered clearing at the edge of the compound. You felt a strong arm around your waist and you were being lifted up off your feet and carried as your momentum slowed. 

Steve’s breath was warm and soft on your neck as he pulled you back behind the trees and you laughed loudly. He set you down and you spun in his arms, coming face to face with his broad chest and arms wrapping you in a loving embrace. His blue eyes sparkled with mischief and you pulled him in for a breathless kiss as he backed you against a particularly large tree. 

You desperately missed being able to see him and touch him over the past two weeks.The taste of his lips, the scent of his skin, it was all intoxicating. He moaned deeply into your mouth and held your body closely against his. 

Your hands roamed from his back down his sides and your hands came to rest on his hips. You gripped them and pulled your bodies close together. His lips trailed down your jaw to your neck and he nipped and sucked firmly at your skin. The insistent pressure against the column of your neck caused electrifying sensations to flood throughout your body. 

“Oh, Steve,” you whimpered as his lips tasted and worshipped your skin. He caught your sounds in his mouth as he kissed you deeply. 

“I’m so happy you’re back, baby,” he smiled against your mouth. You looked into the deep ocean of his eyes and saw his desire. You felt it too, so strongly. If not for your self control, you’d have jumped on him right then and there. 

You wondered what in the world had come over you. The old you had been reserved outside of the dance floor. Sure, you’d danced with men, but that was just for fun. The desire you felt for Steve was unlike anything you’d experienced. Intense love, a deep connection and physical attraction all wrapped into one explosive combination filled you with boldness.

“Steve,” you moaned and bit into the skin along his collarbone. His breath hitched and you soothed the skin with your tongue. “I want you so bad,” you whispered into his ear and tugged on his earlobe gently with your teeth. You pulled his hips against you and felt the pressure of his erection above your pelvis. His arms blocked you in and you heard the bark of the tree behind you cracking in his grip. 

“Oh, God. Baby, do you know what you’re doing to me here?” he groaned as your grip tightened on his hips. “You’re so beautiful,” he growled as he licked into your mouth again. “Taste so sweet.”

You reached under his shirt and raked your nails along the skin of his back. He fisted his hands into your hair and deepened the kiss. His arms circled around your waist, reached down to your hips and picked you up. Your legs wrapped around his hips and you rolled your pelvis against him, earning a growl from his lips. 

He pulled away breathlessly. “Sweetheart, we can’t. You keep doin’ that…” You marvelled at the wrecked expression on his face, full of pure desire and rutted against him again. “Oh, I’m gonna...” he shut his eyes tightly and fought for control. 

“You feel so good, Steven” you whimpered as you continued moving against him.

“Say it again, say my name,” he ordered.

Your body chased the friction you so desperately needed. “Steven! Oh!” you cried out as he pressed back against you and gripped your ass. “Yes, more,” you begged. “Please!” Two more rolls of your hips had you seeing stars. Waves of pleasure flooded and pulsed throughout your body.

The sight of you falling apart in his arms was too much. He growled against your lips and his tongue pressed into your mouth. His hips thrusted in sequence with his tongue and he rutted against your core, grunting into your mouth and gripping your hips in his large hands. You felt the pulsing heat against your core as his orgasm crashed against you.

He leaned his forehead against yours and kissed you softly. The two of you breathed in each other’s air as you came down from your highs. “I love you,” he sighed as his lips and tongue caressed your skin. He set you down gently and held you in his arms.

“I love you too Steven,” you smiled and a blush spread against his cheeks. 

“Why don’t you head in, I need to, uh… clean up,” he said bashfully as the blush on his cheeks darkened. You grinned and raised an eyebrow suggestively before turning to walk back to the Compound with a little extra sway in your hips.

**Author's Note:**

> All characters other than the reader's perspective belong to Marvel and Stan Lee. I own no one.  
> Another shout out to the awesome writer GeeKnProuD!
> 
> All mistakes and errors are mine, but if you find them, please let me know!


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